Why do people double barrel first names?

[FlawlessFuckup]

Inspired by the ‘somebody explain Nando’s to me’ thread to find answers to my own personal mysteries.

I just don’t get it. I think hyphens look ugly, and most people only get called the first half of the name anyway, Sofia for Sofia-Rose etc.

I personally feel hyphenating names with a made up misspelt half-name like -Mai is odd. But I find it even odder when people hyphenate two ‘normal’ names, that have no obvious connection to each other, like Sofia-Rose, to use the same example.

I just don’t get it. Could someone explain it to me? Why would/did you do this? Is it because you couldn’t decide between two names, or another reason?

Isn't it common in France?

Jean-Luc
Jean-Pierre
Anne-Marie

I also remember if the school was caught calling me by one half of my double barrelled name my dad would get really angry. He would correct anyone. I found it awkward and embarrassing

@Dot - did your parents ever say why they picked your name?

My child goes to school with a child who has a triple barreled first name, it looks like the parents couldn't chose between two double barreled names so threw them together. So instead of chosing Ella-May or Ella-Rose theyve just chose Ella-May-Rose (not childs real name)

If I see a child with a double barrelled first name I always assume parents are lower class. I know this is judgmental but it indicates a group to me in the same way I’d assume Mohammad’s parents were Muslim.

Giving your children a double barrel with the second name shared is awful. Sounds like you couldn’t be bothered to come up with a whole name just for them.

Flawless not so much why, but here’s the best bit...

My mum told me the second part was suggested by my dad, which in turn was his ex’s name 🙈 my mum always sounded secretly fuming but I don’t know why she agreed to it either.

Yeah, they aren’t all there!

(They don’t know about my name change)

I don't like it. It's always the same second names and and it's always to make a perfectly nice name even more flowery/babyish/girly.
Rose, may, grace, Marie etc.

“I hated it. It sounded so , council, for lack of a better word.

Well you sound so, up your own arse and snobby

It's a nice way to use a really popular name but make it different like Satan-grace or Clara-rose or whatever. I like it.

Sarah-Grace obviously!!

Three together is just unrealistic. Who's actually going to use them all? She'll just get called Ella, by everyone, forever.

'Council' is such a horrible way to describe anything.

Satan-Grace!

I hate hyphenated first names. Can't say Chav or Council on here so as my Mum would say it sounds 'common'.

Fashion, pure and simple.

It's the same as Olivia, Oliver, Jack and Emily being popular and Karen, Alan, Claire and Paul not being popular for baby names.

I think there is also a "thing" in some areas and social groups that everything has to be unique. You can't possibly use a name which has EVER been used for someone else so you either double barrel it, misspell it, or both. So that your child is marked out as special.

There have always been double barrel names, to me it always sounds like and Irish way of doing things - growing up I knew an Anne-Marie, John-Paul and Mary-Clare, all were from large Irish families. But the most recent explosion of kids called things like Daisey-Mae or Emmileigh-Looooeeeze is just awful.

So as not to offend either grandmother! (Not me, my friend).

Satan-Grace

@feral
I love Hanna-Lena and Hannalore. Am part Deutsch myself. Had a Liselotte Oma.

Live and let live

@fruit
Maybe it's the same one, but we came across a triple-barrelled girl a while ago. Took DS to a soft play and there was a Demi-Rose-Leigh signed in. DH commented that she must be named after half a cup of tea.

Cos they think it sounds ‘classy’.

Itching to start a thread innocently canvassing opinions on 'Satan-Grace'

People keep mentioning French names and older variations like Sarah-Jane but to me they are completely different.

The new influx of Lily-Mai etc are because people think they are being ever so clever and exotic when really they are now boring and cliche

It was far more common when I was at school. I remember MaryAnnes, Marykates, John-Paul, Sarah-Louise, Anne-Marie, Marie-Claire , Margaret-Anne, Etc.

I only know of two DC's today with db names; Ella-Mae and Anna-Kate

I’m Mary Anne. I get called Mary, Ann Marie, Rosemary and my personal favourite, Mary-Ann. I don’t understand why so many people can’t wrap their heads around the name, which has been around for centuries, but there you go.

My parents did this to me in the 60s and I changed my name to a completely different (unhyphenated) one on all official docs as soon as I was able to.

(The bank just needed written confirmation that I'd been using the alternative name for at least two years. They then did me a confirmation letter for the passport office. I don't know whether the rules have changed now.)

I can only remember one other hyphenated child of my age and she didn't seem to mind hers. I hated mine!

Well you sound so, up your own arse and snobby

HAHA I'm ANYTHING but!